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Roasted Chicken with Greens and Beans

Roasted Chicken with Greens and Beans is a warm, comforting, one-pan dish just bursting with garlicky flavor.

Winter Sundays were made for the oven. I love getting out my cast iron skillet or Dutch oven and trying some long braises or slow roasts, since it’s the one day of the week that I actually have a little extra time to cook. It doesn’t hurt that the whole house smells amazing in the process, either.

Last Sunday, I really craved roasted chicken. The frigid weather and home confinement due to sick children meant that we all needed a little comfort food. I hoped to squeeze some leafy greens into my tiny humans as well, and got the idea of making greens and beans to go with my chicken. I usually roast my chicken in the Instant Pot, which would mean multiple dishes to clean later. What if I roasted everything in one pan? Could it work?

Well, folks, it can work, and it DID work. Not much effort went into it, either. Within minutes, olive oil, garlic, greens, beans, and some sliced leeks were in the pan. I topped it with the whole chicken, baked it, did a whole lot of nothing for a few hours, and dinner was done.

Juices from the chicken, mingled with lemon, thyme, and garlic, saturated the greens just beneath the chicken. The greens and beans around the edges became just a little crispy. When combined together, we got the best of both worlds; crispy, lemony, garlicky goodness.

Let’s not forget about the chicken. Crispy skin, juicy, tender, and aromatic meat. All I can say is YUM.

We ate Roasted Chicken with Greens and Beans for family dinner, but you could just as easily serve this meal for company. You could use a larger chicken, and then adjust the cooking time accordingly. I always recommend using an instant read thermometer to cook the chicken to 165 F to ensure it is completely cooked through.

If you don’t like lemon, or don’t have time, you can stuff the chicken with whatever you’d like. oranges might taste good, and onions or shallots make a good substitute for leeks.

Any sturdy green will hold up well in this dish. I used mostly chard, with a little leftover kale. You could use all kale, escarole, or any combo of these greens. Avoid spinach, which is likely to burn.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F. Drizzle some of the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet (about 2 tbsp). Add 3 garlic cloves, all of the chard, and the white beans. Try to evenly distribute them in the pan.

Slice the leek in half lengthwise. Slice one of the halves into thin half-moons, and sprinkle over the chard/bean mixture.

Stuff the chicken with the other half of the leek, lemons, thyme, and remaining garlic. Drizzle the outside of the chicken with a few tbsp olive oil, and coat generously with salt and pepper. Massage some of the oil, salt, and pepper on the meat by gently separating the skin from the meat. Place the bird on top of the chard and bean mixture in the pan.

Bake for approximately 2 hours, or until a thermometer in the thickest part of the bird reads 165 F. I highly recommend using an instant read thermometer to ensure the bird is done. If you don't have one, another way to confirm it is done is if the juices between the leg and the breast run completely clear.

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